Betty’s Tea Rooms, Harrogate

No visit to Harrogate is complete without dropping in at Betty’s Tea Rooms. The queues to get in were considerable. Had it not been for one of the hottest days of the year and most people staying away from the town to go to the seaside or bask in the sun, the queues would’ve been longer and the town much busier. Apart from the tea room, there is also a cafe and if you pre-booked, they had a tea room upstairs where they also had a piano bar serving the same afternoon tea menu. The tea rooms served a full menu which includes a hot meal, and afternoon tea which can be ordered throughout the day. As you walk through the entrance, to the right of the tea room, Betty’s had their shop which sold an assortment of their speciality cakes and blends of tea and other delectables. Adorning the walls of the tea room was a fabulous collection of tea pots in all different shapes and sizes. A wonderful display of Betty’s Fondant Fancy cakes and their macaroons which came in all different flavours and colours cemented our desire to sample one of their famous afternoon teas, even though it was lunch time! These buns with cherries and almonds in it are called “fat rascals” – a cross between a rock cake and a scone. We’d never heard of them before till now – our daughter asked us to bring some back for her on our return journey. Drooling over the fancy cakes in the window. …and finally sitting down to have our tea… …food at last – taking the weight off our feet and sheltering from the mid-day sun. I was beaming from ear to ear!